ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the rush to adopt e-planning in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It discusses the ideal speech situation is used as a critical framework to analyse planners’ comments about their own e-planning attempts. Jean Baudrillard’s counter-intuitive reasoning for the silence of the majority is relevant to the research because a frequently cited concern of planners is to downplay the opinions of a vocal minority and try to understand the opinions of the silent majority. Interviews were also conducted with three senior members of staff at the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure whose roles are dedicated to communicating planning and the strategic implementation of e-planning across the State. E-planning may unexpectedly change the anonymity or offer respondents increased agency accelerating a ‘re-bordering’ of planning activity by facilitating the fluidity and uncertainty of planning roles and responsibilities. E-planning facilitates anonymous posting and debate and this can blur the boundaries between interest groups.